'Respect the hustle': Netizens awed by 24-year-old who juggles undergraduate studies, teaching at JC and tutoring

Randy Tan wears many hats. 

The 24-year-old is an NTU undergraduate, a relief teacher at Nanyang Junior College and a tutor at a tuition centre. 

Some of us struggle with just one of those roles, but Randy looks to be thriving.

In a five-minute video posted last week on TikTok, he provided a glimpse into what a typical day is like for him.

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Studying while doing cardio

Randy's day starts bright and early at 5.45am. The early bird catches the worm, right?

While most of us would drag ourselves to work or school, he heads to the gym for some cardio.

That, in itself, requires a level of discipline, but Randy raises the bar by multi-tasking at the gym.

"I try to make it productive so I'm studying my course notes here," Randy said in the TikTok clip.

After his morning gym session, he heads to the junior college, where he's a Physics tutor.

He then teaches a tutorial class and clears some administrative work before heading back to the gym.

While his morning workout is focused on cardio, the afternoon session is tiered towards upper body work — from declined chest press to lat pulldown.

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Even after this second gym session, Randy's day is far from done.

He rushes to NTU for a solo presentation, which he describes as "the most difficult" he's ever done.

His day ends with him teaching at a tuition centre, from 530pm to 930pm. He squeezes in one meal after that and heads home by around 11pm.

'Having fun is not a priority for me'

His daily schedule might seem overwhelming, but the key to managing it well is learning how to prioritise, he told AsiaOne.

Randy said: "Time management is really about prioritising I think.

"You have to really dig deep and ask yourself 'what are you prioritising?' and then make time for it."

With his small circle of close friends, Randy doesn't see much value in socialising.

"I don't like [to] drink or whatever because it's not a priority," he said openly. "Having fun is not a priority for me."

In the comments section, netizens were simply in disbelief at his daily routine.

"Respect the hustle," one TikTok user commented.

One netizen asked how Randy can be an undergraduate and also a junior college teacher concurrently.

Randy replied that he's currently under the Ministry of Education's Scheme for Relief Educator (SRE), which provides graduates and undergraduates with opportunities to cover teaching duties at schools.

Passion for the cause

Although Randy admits that passion is a cliche answer, it is exactly that which drives him.

"I love physics, I love lifting and I care a lot about my students. On top of that, I do feel a very, very strong sense of duty to help my students improve, not just in academics but in life too," he shared.

While productivity is a clear goal of his, he understands that getting enough rest is just as important.

"Being sufficiently well rested allows me to function at high capacity throughout the day, reducing the time I spend on each task, allowing me to be more productive overall."

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amierul@asiaone.com

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